Shortage of Auto mechanics

[Clare Snyder]

In the US that's one of the more useful ones - - -

[micky]

I am far from that organized.

When I was little, my mother bought me brown shoes with a white top. In the fall, she dyed the white part brown, but that was long ago.

Haha. Usually I use the buzzer, but if really have to get up I have the radio go on 15 minutes earlier.

On my trip, I used my cell phone on the days that I had to wake up on time, but on the last trip I had a new phone and the default buzz tone can barely be heard, even when I'm awake. (Yes, I know I can change that.)

[Clare Snyder]

But they will still have brakes, suspension, steering, climate control, and a host of other "electro/mechanical" components that will require servicing. The likelihood of a "good mechanic" being without work in the nexr FIDTY years is astonishingly remote.

My best apprentice had an honours BSc in physics and couldn't get a decent job in his field - and became an EXCELLENT mechanic - then went on to teaching Auto Mechanics and became the head technical teacher at the secondary school before getting into sdministration as a technical education consultant

[Clare Snyder]

Note the quotes -- They call thenselves mechanics - I call them "mechanics" - using the term rather loosely. Basically any fool with

10 fingers (or even 7 or 8) can replace most parts.

[micky]

Good deal.

My desk top monitor, which I bought used** at a hamfest, has a white background

OTOH, my laptop has a very light tan screen. Very even, right to left, top to bottom, but it's not white. Is that bad? Is there an adjustment for that? Does it affect the other colors that are supposed to be displayed?

**it has one scratch, near the center, but I can only see it when it's off.

[rbowman]

The best thing about my semi-retired status is I get up when I get up. I had been using a clock radio and the station features a 'comedy clip' shortly after the hour. The last thing I need is some braying asshole who thinks (s)he is funny.

Can't win though. This morning it was my ex on the answering machine. Nothing important but she's running out of people who are still alive to talk to.

[Clare Snyder]

Yes, and I'd have likely made a heck of a lot more if I had been able to stay in the automotive repair field. My body told me in no uncertain terms I could not. Sure - I could have stayed in as service manager - but having 3 bosses is no fun.

The Dealer principal, the mechanics. and the customer. Satisfy any two on a GOOD day!!!!!!!!

30 some years later I still get called in for consultations every now and then.

[Clare Snyder]

My daughter was dortunate to get a job in her field (international development) that pays reasonably well. Will she ever be able to afford to buy a house on a single income (un-married)??? Not likely - but as a single that is not necessarily a big priority.

[rbowman]

A college education usually doesn't hurt capable people but it doesn't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear either. Flexibility is the key. The days of thinking 'I'll get my EE degree, got to work for GE, and retire in

40 years.' are gone.

[Clare Snyder]

Not just because they are not repairable, but because everybody has to have the latest, greatest "gizmo". Nobody wants to drive even a perfectly good 10 year old car or be seen with an i-phone or Samsung phone more than one generation old. Same with computers and laptops - nobody wants an i7-10 laptop when they can get an i7-13 even if the difference between them cannot be noticed by even the average "power user".

[Clare Snyder]

And one of their "innovations" was the non-repairable throw-away TV -

- - -

[Clare Snyder]

Sounds like one of those old 3-gun projector TVs

[rbowman]

I had a '82 Firebird which was pretty early in the ECU cycle. It would run fine but would periodically act like it was really rich. As I ran the diagnostics I found most of the readings weren't quite in the specified range. I was getting frustrated but a guy I worked with was having a similar problem with his Pontiac that the dealership was having a problem fixing. His son was the service manager so he wasn't getting screwed.

That generation still had a carb but on the path to computer control they'd modified it with a solenoid controlled plunger to fine tune the mixture. The problem was a small junk of neoprene that would block the plunger from seating correctly. All those fancy measurements didn't mean shit.

[rbowman]

Yeah, I keep thinking about going retro with my F150. I don't know when they got fancy. It still has the Carter jug with a few extra wires and a distributor. The 300 CID six was around forever so finding a points distributor shouldn't be hard.

[micky]

Those will all be transistorized.

[Snag]

Is that greed or is it envy ? Screw a bunch of keepin' up with the Joneses , they're broke and in debt up to their eyeballs , I'm drivin'

20 plus year old iron and sittin' on a (small by some standards) pile of money .

[Snag]

Yeah , same with small block GM stuff . The only other critical thing that's EMP-fragile is the alternator control system . Keep a spare in a metal box .

[Snag]

The only emissions stuff on the original Quad carb itself was a solenoid to reduce the accel pump shot when it was warmed up . Ain't got shit now , Edelbrock 1405 on top of a Performer manifold .

[Jim Joyce]

I only buy shoes at Walmart, much to the chagrin of my wife. I buy 2-3 pairs at a time, every 3-5 years, and I spend $10-15 a pair. I toss them way way way after my wife says I should toss them.

[Ed P]

A degree is considered the minimum and often required for some jobs, even if unrelated. The thinking was, if you can earn a degree you can learn to do the job here. Recently, some companies are finding they can get better qualified people without the expensive sheepskin.